


A World Alone

by buoyantsaturn



Series: Prompts [20]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Canon Compliant, Dialogue Heavy, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Hanukkah, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Religious Discussion, catholic nico di angelo, its literally all just me making jokes about catholicism, jewish will solace
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:55:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27964910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buoyantsaturn/pseuds/buoyantsaturn
Summary: Nico was ready to propose - now he just needed to figure out how. He convinces Will to celebrate Hanukkah for the first time in years. The problem is, Nico doesn't know anything about Hanukkah.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Series: Prompts [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/988824
Comments: 61
Kudos: 124





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> happy almost hanukkah!! ive got a prologue here so stay tuned for the next 8 nights for updates!!
> 
> as always, title from a world alone by lorde!
> 
> disclaimer: i'm protestant so like. i know VERY little about hanukkah outside of the research i've done for this fic so if anything doesn't line up quite right, feel free to let me know so I can make changes!!

Nico bought a ring. He’d called Naomi and asked for her blessing, then asked Percy to help him pick out the perfect ring. And now he had it, the velvet box clutched in his hand, which was stuffed into his jacket pocket. He had the ring, and now all he had to do was ask. 

But  _ how? _ It had always seemed like men would get the parents’ blessing and then drop down onto one knee and  _ ask, _ but...times had changed. Was Nico supposed to do something extravagant? Would Will  _ want _ that? Even if he did, Nico doubted he’d ever be able to pull something like that off. But still, he should try to make it unique somehow.

Part of him wanted to propose on Christmas, but before coming to camp, Will had been raised Jewish. Would it mean as much to Will as it might have for Nico? He recalled Will telling him once that he preferred spending Christmas at camp to Hanukkah with his mom’s family - something to do with having one exciting day with his  _ real _ family as opposed to eight mediocre days with blood relatives that he barely knew - so maybe Will  _ would _ appreciate the sentiment of a Christmas proposal. 

Although, the more he thought about it, Nico realized that with Christmas came  _ people, _ and he wasn’t so sure that he wanted an audience when he asked Will to marry him. It felt too special to share with anyone aside from the love of his life. 

Besides, he didn’t think he could wait that long, either.

He hadn’t come to a decision by the time he made it home from picking up the ring, and had just enough time to hide it in his nightstand before Will announced his arrival from the front door. 

Nico greeted his boyfriend with a kiss after Will hung up his coat and toed off his shoes, and Will suggested ordering takeout for dinner. It was a rare opportunity that of course Nico happily jumped on. 

They didn’t eat out enough to warrant either of them having any delivery apps - and they’d learned from Percy and Annabeth that DoorDash drivers were more often than not monsters who would eat their food on their way to try to kill them - so Nico went to the kitchen to pull out the stack of takeout menus they kept in a drawer. The menus were mostly for different Asian restaurants, because Nico could cook most other things though he’d never successfully made anything more difficult than an Asian-inspired stir fry. 

He sat across from Will on the couch and handed over the menus. As Will started to flip through them, Nico tapped Will’s thigh with his foot. “How come we never celebrate Hanukkah?” 

Will paused, and after a second he raised his eyes to meet Nico’s. “Uh, because we’re Pagan? And I don’t think I’ve celebrated  _ any _ Jewish holiday since…at least before we started dating, if not before I first went to camp.” 

Nico remembered asking once before. A lot of Jewish holidays, to his understanding, required a lot of fasting. It wasn’t always safe for demigods, who needed to have their minds and bodies ready for battle at the drop of a hat, and it wasn’t a practice Will could start up again when he started his surgical residency for a similar reason. Sure, doctors and professors were more understanding of religious differences than bloodthirsty monsters, but Will had already been out of practice. He’d never felt the need to try participating in fasting again, not when he was already so disconnected from the religion in which he’d been raised. 

Having Apollo for a father kind of severed that connection to any other religion. 

“What if we did?” Nico asked. 

Will raised an eyebrow. “You want to celebrate Hanukkah?” 

Nico shrugged, hoping for nonchalance but fearing that Will was going to see right through him. After nearly a decade together, he’d gotten pretty good at reading Nico like a book.

(Who was he kidding? Will had practically been able to read his mind after the first  _ year.) _

“Why not?” 

Will set the menus aside, apparently deciding that the conversation was going to require the use of more than just half of his brain. “So, first of all, you’re Catholic. At this point, I’m  _ barely _ Jewish. And if we celebrate Hanukkah, does that mean you  _ don’t _ want to go to camp for Christmas?”

“No, I want to do both,” Nico told him. “We can, right? They don’t, like, overlap or something, do they?” 

Will seemed to think for a second before deciding, “No, I don’t think so. Not this year.” Will shot him another look - mostly confused, and a little bit hesitant. “You  _ really _ want to do Hanukkah?” 

“If that’s okay with you,” Nico told him.

Will shrugged, lowering his gaze back to the takeout menus on the table. “Yeah, it’s fine, it’s just…” 

“If it’s going to bring up bad memories, then--” 

“No, no,” Will said, and Nico thought he could see a smile starting to bloom. “Nothing like that. Now I’m going to have to think of eight gifts to get you, instead of just one. You always have to make things harder than they need to be, don’t you?”

Nico grinned. “It’s what I do best.” 

He mentally checked off step one of his plan. Now he and Will were in the same boat - what the  _ hell _ was Nico supposed to get him?

Will at least had past experiences of the holiday to go off of. Nico had, well. Nico had Cecil.

“Dude, you’re doing  _ Hanukkah?”  _ Cecil asked the next day when Nico strode into the UPS store where Cecil worked.

Nico raised an eyebrow. “I have to assume Will told you.” 

“No, my Jew senses were tingling,” Cecil replied. “Yeah, dude. So, like,  _ why? _ We’re pagan.”

“I’m Catholic,” Nico said. “And it’s because… Hm. Can you keep a secret? Maybe I should’ve gone to Julia instead.”

“Dude! I’m the  _ best _ at keeping secrets out of all of my siblings!” Cecil exclaimed. “Well, except maybe Luke, but even he blew it eventually. So c’mon, spill.” 

Nico rolled his eyes and folded his arms. He tried to maintain his usual frown as he said, “I’m going to ask him to marry me.” Of course his smile fought through at the words, so he looked away in an attempt to hide it instead. 

“Dude!” 

“Do you know  _ any _ other words?”

“I’m just happy for you, man!” Cecil told him. “So, what, you’re doing Hanukkah so you can spoil him for a week straight before you propose? That’s not a bad idea.” 

“Thanks for your approval,” Nico said dryly, “because that’s what I came here for.” 

“Oh, yeah,” Cecil said. “So what’s up?” 

Nico shifted on his feet. “I don’t...know anything about Hanukkah.” 

“And celebrating it was your idea?” Cecil whistled. “You’re dumber than I thought. Just Google it, dude.” Nico’s lip curled up in disgust. “Oh, right, you _ loathe  _ technology, or whatever.”

Nico hmphed. “Would you just tell me how to celebrate Hanukkah so I can marry your best friend?” 

“Huh. Put that down under sentences I never thought I’d hear. Okay, tell me what you know.” 

“About Hanukkah?” Nico frowned in thought. “Uh, it’s Jewish.” 

“Oh, good gods, you’re clueless.” 

“I’m  _ Catholic.”  _

“That’s not as good of an excuse as you think it is.” Cecil pinched the bridge of his nose, something Nico remembered his older brothers doing whenever they were deep in thought about their upcoming pranks. “Okay, it’s about the candles, right?” 

“The...what?” 

“The menorah,” Cecil explained, waving a hand. “You light a candle every night for eight nights - Will knows this stuff - so you’ll need a menorah. The good thing is, you can give him one on the first night. Menorahs are, like, one of the most common gifts. Like dreidels and gelt. The gifts are all usually pretty cheap, because nobody can afford to get eight gifts for a ton of people. Well, you probably could.

“I can text you a few traditional gifts if you need ideas. But I think getting him a nice menorah would really help get him into the holiday spirit. And honestly? You could probably just cook for him one night. He seriously doesn’t shut up about your cooking sometimes.” 

Before either of them could say anything more, the bell chimed over the door, signaling the arrival of a customer, and Cecil started to step away. “I gotta get back to work, but I’ll text you with some stuff later. Good luck, dude!”

“Thanks, Cecil,” Nico told him, and he headed out. 

He had gifts to buy. 


	2. Night 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy first night of hanukkah!!

Nico was anxious to get things started on the first night. Will hadn’t really explained much of anything to him about the holiday, and there was only so much that Nico could piece together from Cecil’s rambly texts. He’d gotten all of his shopping done, though he’d had to resort to cooking, which he’d been trying to avoid. Not because he disliked it, but because he usually cooked for Will, and gifting him a dinner felt like a bit of a cop out. 

So, eager as he was, Nico practically dragged Will to the couch as soon as he’d gotten home from work.

“Hang on a second,” Will told him, grinning at Nico’s excitement. “If we’re doing gifts then I have to go get yours.” 

Nico had to guess by the feeling of warmth on his face and the pure joy in Will’s eyes that he was _blushing._ Gods, he hated when that happened.

“Don’t tell me you forgot that this isn’t some one-sided thing,” Will said. He pressed a kiss to Nico’s cheek and told him, “I’ll be right back.” He rose from the couch and went toward their bedroom as Nico slouched into his seat and buried his face in his hands.

How did he forget that Will would be giving him gifts, too? It wasn’t like they were celebrating a week-long birthday, this was a _holiday._ Maybe Nico’s plan to spoil Will for a week before proposing wasn’t going to work out as well as he thought.

Or maybe the mutual gift giving would be the perfect thing to prevent Will from seeing what laid ahead at the end of next week. 

Will returned in about a minute, sitting down beside Nico with one hand hidden from view. “So,” he said, “technically, we’re not supposed to give gifts until we light the menorah, but… Well, you know, it’s not like we have one. Anyway, here.” 

Will held out a small present wrapped in newspaper, just smaller than their demiphones. Nico took it from his hand and carefully unpeeled the paper, revealing a single pack of Mythomagic cards.

“I know it’s not much,” Will said, and he sounded as though he was embarrassed - _that_ certainly hadn’t been part of the plan, either, “but remember that you have another week of this, so they’ll add up. The gifts usually start small, too, and work their way up, so--” 

Nico stopped him with a hand on his cheek, gently guiding him into a kiss. “Thank you, Sunshine. You know I’m always happy to get more Mythomagic cards.” He set the pack of cards on the coffee table, realizing that it was his turn to be embarrassed. “Um. So, I _didn’t_ know that you were supposed to start small, and…” Nico reached underneath the coffee table and brought out Will’s gift. 

The box was large - _way_ bigger than a single pack of trading cards - and Nico had wrapped it in a silver and blue striped wrapping paper he’d found at the store while he was out. He saw Will’s eyes widen at the sight as Nico set the gift in Will’s lap. It wasn’t especially heavy, and the box certainly made it look bigger than it seemed - flat, but long and wide - and Will almost seemed hesitant to open it. 

“I promise, I’ll start small tomorrow, but I kind of felt like you should have this one first,” Nico told him, which seemed to finally spur Will into motion. 

“Did you buy wrapping paper just for this?” Will muttered as he searched for an edge.

“So what if I did?” Nico replied. “Just rip it open already.” 

“You know I would never.” 

He picked carefully at the tape on the side of the box until it peeled away, and he meticulously unfolded the paper from the box. Will seemed a bit disappointed to find a simple white box underneath the paper, though the surprise on his face was evident once again when he lifted the lid. 

A silver menorah laid inside the box, cushioned by blue tissue paper. With delicate hands, Will reached in and lifted the menorah, turning it in his hands. “Nico, this is… It’s _beautiful._ Thank you.” 

“I’m glad you like it,” Nico told him softly. “You should put it up somewhere. I have candles, too, so we can light it as soon as you find a place.” 

Will moved the box from his lap and stood, already searching the room for the perfect place. “Where should it go?” 

Nico shrugged. “You would know better than me.” As Will continued to move around their small living room, Nico reached underneath the tissue paper that lined the box and found the plastic wrapped candle sticks. He stood as well, and followed Will toward the window. “Why here?” 

“It’s supposed to be displayed,” Will explained. “Not that many people will be able to see it from so high up, but I was always taught that it should sit near a window. You said you have candles? What about a lighter?” 

Nico handed him the candles and said, “I’ll go look.” 

It took probably more searching that it should have. First, the junk drawer in the kitchen, then Will’s emergency med kit - because sometimes you just couldn’t suture - and finally Nico’s backpack. Why he hadn’t checked there first, he didn’t know. He always kept a lighter there in case of sudden questing where he might need to build a fire. 

He returned to the living room, lighter in hand, and went to light the first candle before Will stopped him. 

“Woah, stop! What are you doing? Give me that,” Will said frantically, taking the lighter from Nico’s hand. For some reason, he lit the centermost candle instead of one on either end, then lifted the lit candle, using it to light the first in the row. Will held the center candle out to Nico and said, “This is the shamash. I think it means _servant_ or something. You light this, and use it to light the others.”

“Oh,” Nico said. “Why?” 

Will shrugged. “That’s just what you do, don’t ask me.” He set the shamash back in its place, then set the lighter on the window sill for easier finding the next day. Will wrapped an arm around Nico’s waist, then moved behind him so that he could set his chin on Nico’s shoulder while holding him against his chest. For a moment, the two watched the flames flicker in silence, then Will whispered, “It really is beautiful. Nicer than anything my grandparents ever had. Thank you.” 

“Is there anything we’re supposed to... _do?”_ Nico asked. “Is there some sort of celebration along with lighting the candles, or do we just, like, light them and that’s it? I mean, I know we already did gifts, but…” 

“There’s usually some sort of song or...chant, or something that goes along with it,” Will told him, “but I don’t remember exactly. Gifts are supposed to come after, but I guess I can forgive you for doing things the other way around. It _is_ your first Hanukkah, after all, so mistakes are bound to be made.” 

Nico turned himself in Will’s arms, glaring up at Will’s teasing smile. “Oh, you’ll _forgive me?_ For gifting you this very nice menorah so that we can actually do things the right way around tomorrow? Thank you, Will, for being so very _merciful.”_

Will shrugged. “I do what I can,” he replied, and leaned in for a kiss. “So, dinner? I could continue showing mercy and help you, if you’ll let me.” 

Nico winced. “Or you could show mercy on our kitchen and sit this one out.” 

Will pouted, though only for a second before conceding with a, “That’s fair.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks reading!! see yall tomorrow!!


	3. Night 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy hanukkah night.....2!! electric boogaloo

After a late night, Will returned home from work a short while after Nico had already gone to bed. He tried to be quiet as he came in, though he and Nico had a deal to always greet the other with a kiss, awake or not. Will kept the kiss to his cheek featherlight, but clearly Nico had been in an even lighter sleep, because he woke right away. 

Nico started to sit up, rubbing at his eyes with one hand, though Will set a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, no, go back to sleep. I’m just gonna get changed, and then I’ll be passing out right beside you.” 

Nico covered Will’s hand with his own and pulled it away. “No, I have a gift for you.” 

Will sat down on the edge of the mattress as Nico sat up, and he twisted his hand to lace their fingers together. “We can do that tomorrow, Darling.”

Nico shook his head. “It’s a nighttime tradition. We have to do it now.”

Will smiled. “Technically, it’s not night anymore. It’s very early morning.” He reached up and brushed his fingers across Nico’s cheek as Nico released a yawn. 

Nico waved Will’s hand away while squeezing the other one tighter. “Is the sun up yet?”

“No--”

“Then it’s still night,” Nico argued. “Go get changed or whatever, and then we’re doing gifts.” 

“Alright,” Will said with a roll of his eyes. “If you insist.” He lifted Nico’s hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to his knuckles before he rose from the bed. He went to the bathroom to brush his teeth first, then left the light on when he left the room to offer some dim lighting to their bedroom as he changed into pajamas. Nico was already sitting up on top of the covers with a gift bag in his lap.

“Close your eyes,” Will told him as he started toward the closet.

He could practically hear the eyeroll in Nico’s voice. “I’ve seen you naked, Sunshine, it’s nothing new.” 

“Then at least look away, or else you’re going to see where I hid all of your gifts,” Will said. “And knowing you, you’ll start snooping.” 

_ “Fine, _ I’ll close my eyes,” Nico told him, doing as he said he would and allowing Will to pull Nico’s gift from inside the closet. “Your only two options are in the closet or under the bed, so it’s not like they’d be hard to find anyway.” 

Will set the gift bag on the bed and turned toward his dresser to find a pair of sweatpants to sleep in. “Alright, Mr. Grinch, you can open your eyes now, if you must.”

“Is this my gift?” Nico asked as Will started to strip out of his work clothes. “I’m not against it, but it’s not very original.” 

Will pulled on a clean t-shirt and the sweatpants he’d grabbed, then joined Nico on the bed. “You really think you’re hilarious, don’t you?” 

“Well,  _ hilarious _ might be a stretch,” Nico replied. “But if that’s what you really think of me, then I guess I’ll accept the compliment.” 

Will chuckled. “Of course you will.” He took the gift bag from Nico’s lap and replaced it with the gift Will had gotten for him. “Can we just open these already so I can go to sleep?” 

Nico pouted. “Is that really in the holiday spirit?”

Will rolled his eyes and stuffed his hand into the gift bag. He recognized the feeling before laying eyes on the gift, and felt himself starting to smile. Will lifted up a small netted bag containing about twenty gold foil-wrapped chocolate coins and exclaimed, “Gelt!” 

Nico frowned, his head tilting in that way it did when he was confused. “Uh,  _ salute.” _

“No, no,” Will told him with a laugh, “the chocolates are called  _ gelt. _ I love these things! They were always my favorite Hanukkah gift. Thank you, Darlin’.” He wrapped a hand around the back of Nico’s neck and pulled him close enough that Will could press a kiss to his forehead. “Okay, your turn.” 

As Will turned to set the gelt and wrappings on his nightstand, Nico unwrapped a thick, hardcover book with a skull and crossbones pirate flag on the cover. “So, I basically asked for the most historically accurate yet still fun to read book about pirates that they had at the bookstore,” Will told him as Nico turned to read the summary on the back. “And I didn’t really question it or look into it much at all, so… What I’m trying to say is, if there aren’t any gay pirates in that one then I promise I’ll get you a different one.” 

Nico glanced up from the book with bright eyes, looking as though he’d just drank a pot of coffee instead of barely waking up five minutes ago. “You do realize that I have to read this whole thing  _ right now.” _

“Oh, no you don’t,” Will said, and he snatched the book out of Nico’s hands before he could react. Will set the book on his nightstand beside the gelt, then grabbed Nico around the shoulders and forced him to lay down. He somehow managed to wrangle the duvet out from underneath them and yanked it up to their chins, announcing, “It’s bedtime!” 

Nico tried to wiggle out of his hold, but Will refused to let up. “At least turn off the light! You’re gonna  _ destroy _ our electricity bill!”

“Pfft, with  _ one light?” _ Will snuggled into his pillow and said, “I mean, huh? What was that? I’m already asleep.” 

He heard Nico’s  _ hmph _ before suddenly the weight in the bed beside him disappeared, and Will had just enough time to glance toward the bathroom door to see Nico’s figure materialize from the shadows before he flicked the light off. He marched back to the bed, and Will could see just enough by the streetlights outside the window to tell that Nico was standing with his arms crossed. Really, he didn’t even need to see it. He knew that Nico was waiting for him to move out of the way. 

As if they were reading each other's minds, Nico said, “You’d better make room if you don’t want me to lay on top of you.” 

Will debated his options for only a moment before he pulled back the blankets and allowed Nico to lay back down. As soon as he was settled in, though, Will covered him with the duvet and smothered him once more. 

“G’night, Darlin’,” Will told him, pressing a kiss to Nico’s shoulder.

“Night,” Nico replied. “I love you.” 

“Love you more.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!! see you tomorrow and don't forget to check out @solangeloweek on tumblr!


	4. Night 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy hanukkah night 3! whoops sorry for taking so long to post this but the good news is I finally beat hades  
> enjoy!

Will generally worked for a few hours every Saturday, but after their late night, Nico refused to let Will out of bed all too early. It wasn’t that  _ Nico’s _ night was very late, but he’d take any excuse to have a lazy morning in bed with his boyfriend. 

Once Will finally insisted on getting up, Nico made brunch as Will got ready to head out, and then Nico was left alone until dinner. 

He was standing at the stove when the front door opened and Will announced himself, taking on a “Where are you?” at the end. 

“In the kitchen,” Nico called back, “but don’t come in here. I’m making your gift.”

“Cooking as a gift? That’s not very traditional of you,” Will teased, though he stayed out of the room. 

As Nico put the finishing touches on the meal only a few minutes later, he said, “Okay, it’s ready now. Where are you?” 

“Just a second, I’m lighting the menorah.” Nico decided to set the table while he waited, going so far as to put a small candle at the center. “Can’t give gifts before the menorah is lit,” Will reminded him as he entered the kitchen. “Oh, wow. You really went all out, huh? What’d you make?” 

“Latkes,” Nico answered, then hurried to add, “and before you say anything, I know fried foods are bad for you, so don’t worry. I didn’t make those...donuts, or whatever, for dessert, and I won’t fry up anything else this week. Especially since...well, I think I made these wrong. But they’re traditional, right? So I figured I had to try.” 

Will looked surprised at first, but it quickly melted away into his usual smile. “I haven’t had latkes in  _ years. _ Since before I started going to camp, maybe.” He approached the table, going so far as to start pulling out his chair before he hesitated. “Wait, should I go get your gift? You can open it before we eat.” 

Nico shrugged dismissively. “I feel like this is something that should be eaten while it’s still hot, and I’d like to know sooner rather than later if they’re even edible.” 

The two took their seats, though Nico couldn’t find it in himself to start eating until he’d gotten the expert’s opinion - if Will could be considered an expert. And Nico did, on most things.

Nico held his breath as Will took his first bite, and only exhaled when Will said, “They’re good! They’re...definitely different than I remember, but that’s not a bad thing! It’s also been at least ten years since I’ve eaten one, so that could do it, too.” 

Nico picked up his fork. “Promise you’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”

Will reached across the table and covered Nico’s free hand with his own. “I promise. I can feel my arteries clogging already. And that’s a good thing, in this case, even if that’s usually what I say to stop you from eating so much McDonalds.” 

Nico took his own bite and hummed appreciatively at the taste. “Wow. There really is no bad way to fry a potato, huh?” 

Will nodded across the table. “These would be  _ great  _ with some apple sauce.” 

Nico choked. 

They had finished up dinner and had moved on to the dishes when Nico said, “Hey, tell me something.” 

“What?” 

“Today’s technically the Sabbath, right?” Nico asked. 

Will’s head tilted in thought. “It was before the sun set, yes, but it’s not anymore.”

“And on the Sabbath, you’re not supposed to work at all. Right?” 

Will shot him a look that said,  _ where are you going with this? _ “You’re not supposed to cook, either.” 

“Yeah, but I’m Catholic, and my holy day starts tomorrow.  _ And _ that’s not what I’m talking about. First of all, you shouldn’t be helping me with the dishes.”

Will bumped his shoulder with Nico’s as he waited for Nico to finish washing the plate in his hands so that Will could dry it. “I just told you, the Sabbath ends at sundown. Besides, I went to work today. I’ll just hitch a ride on your day of rest tomorrow.”

“You also shouldn’t be helping because this was your  _ gift,” _ Nico reminded him. “But that’s not my point. My  _ point _ is that you could’ve gotten the day off for religious purposes.”

Will shrugged. “Well, sure, except for the fact that I work a half day  _ most _ Saturdays, and I’ve never taken a religious holiday before, so why would I start now? Unless this is just you trying to get back at me for making you get out of bed this morning.” 

Nico wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Pretend for a minute that that  _ wasn’t _ the reason.”

Will snorted. “Regardless of the reason, I don’t think my boss would be all too willing to let me have a day off and suddenly believe that I’m Jewish when I’ve already gotten my time off for Christmas approved.” 

“Well, your easy excuse for that is telling everyone that you’re spending the holiday with your Catholic boyfriend’s family. You wouldn’t even have to lie!” 

“Well,  _ sure,” _ Will teased, “except that we’re pagan.” 

Nico waved him off. “A minor technicality.” 

They finished up the dishes together and moved on to the living room where Will told Nico to take a seat on the couch as he went to fetch his gift. Nico had started to regret the decision not to open his gift first when he realized that he and Will wouldn’t be sharing the attention - not that they had an audience or anything, but Nico being the only one to open a physical gift certainly made him feel like this was all about  _ him. _ And that definitely wasn’t part of his plan to butter Will up before the end of next week. 

Will sat down on the couch beside him when he returned and handed Nico a small box, wrapped in newspaper just like his gift on the first night. Will had commented on it being strange that Nico had gone out to buy wrapping paper just for this, but where was Will finding  _ newspaper? _

Inside the box, Nico found some sort of plastic top, and glanced at Will in confusion. 

“It’s a dreidel!” Will exclaimed, smiling excitedly. “I’ve got, like, fifteen of these things stuffed in a box somewhere at my mom’s house because I would get multiple every year, since they’re a really common gift.” 

“But…” Nico spin the dreidel between his fingers, frowning down at the different symbols on each side of it. “What  _ is  _ it?” 

“It’s a game,” Will told him, and he’d barely gotten the words out before Nico demanded,  _ “Teach me.” _

Someday, Will would probably remember that Nico was too competitive for his own good. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!! off to play more hades


	5. Night 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! happy night 4 of hanukkah!! we're halfway through already!! wow!!

They’d both been awake for over an hour, but any time Will so much as  _ thought _ about getting out of bed, Nico wrapped around him like an octopus to keep him in place. Not that Will minded, of course, but he was starting to get hungry. 

Will shifted, and Nico immediately tightened his hold around Will’s waist. “Oh, I’m not even allowed to move now?” Will joked. 

Nico propped his chin up on Will’s chest and pouted at him. “I thought you wanted to tag along on my day of rest.” 

_ “Resting _ doesn’t mean we have to stay in bed all day,” Will said, though he was sure that Nico already knew that. “Besides, I’m going to need to eat something pretty soon, because I’d rather not resort to cannibalism.” 

“You could never eat me,” Nico told him. “You love me too much.” 

Will hummed, slipping a hand underneath Nico’s shirt. “I don’t know, you’re starting to look pretty tasty.” He pinched Nico’s side, causing him to jump and release his hold on Will. 

“That’s cheating!” Nico exclaimed, but Will simply grinned back as he slipped out from under the duvet. 

“All’s fair in love and war. And I’d really rather keep this one as  _ love, _ if you don’t mind. We’ve both seen enough war for a lifetime.” 

With a  _ hmph, _ Nico flopped back against his pillow. “Don’t you dare burn down my kitchen.” 

“Then you’d better come stop me!” 

Nico resumed his octopus hold after they’d finished breakfast and moved to the couch. Sure, it had only been a week since Will’s last full day off work, but sometimes Nico felt like he and Will never got the chance to just sit like this and enjoy each other’s company.

And there was one other thing it seemed like they never had the time for.

“So,” Nico started as he stretched his legs over Will’s lap, “if we’re sticking with this  _ day of rest _ thing, then that probably means I shouldn’t do any more cooking, right?” 

Will’s gaze was focused on the TV across the room as he said, “If you want to be that strict about it.” 

Nico let his head rest against Will’s shoulder. “And no cleaning, either, and neither of us can sneak off to work, so… Well, I guess that means there’s only one thing we  _ can  _ do.” In the blink of an eye, Nico had placed himself on Will’s lap, knees pressed into the cushions on either side of Will’s hips and arms draped around Will’s shoulders.

Will smiled sweetly up at him. “Actually, we can’t do that, either.” 

Nico frowned. “But--” 

“Besides,” Will cut in, his hands coming to rest on Nico’s waist, “doesn’t your religion prohibit premarital sex?” Nico rolled his eyes, thinking,  _ then it’s a good thing there’s an engagement ring in my nightstand. _ “And now that I think of it, they’re not too big on the gays, either, are they?  _ Man shall not lie with another man, _ or whatever.” 

Nico jabbed a finger into Will’s chest. “That’s just a misinterpretation, and I’ve told you that a million times. And shouldn’t you already know that? I know you went to...Hebrew school, or whatever it’s called.”

Will swatted Nico’s hand away. “Oh, sure, because they discussed the hot topic of gay sex to a room full of eight year olds. What do you think Hebrew school is?” 

“Uh…” Nico paused for a moment to think. “Catechism with half the material?” 

Will snorted, then hid his face in Nico’s chest as he started to laugh fully. “Okay, that was a good one. I’ll give you that.” 

Nico started to curl a lock of Will’s hair around one finger. “So, I guess we have two options. One, we could exchange gifts for today, or two, we can go commit a mortal sin in the bedroom.” 

Will hummed, his head tilting in thought. “Any sin?” 

“I mean, I have a specific one in mind.” 

“Hopefully not murder, right?” Will asked. “You know, since it’ll be just us in there.” 

Nico snorted. “No, I’ve had enough of that for a lifetime.” 

Clearly, Will was enjoying teasing Nico, because he continued with, “Is sodomy technically a mortal sin?” 

Nico pressed his forehead against Will’s and whispered, “Do you wanna find out?” 

“Well, since we can’t light the menorah or open any gifts until sundown, then...I guess that only leaves the one option.”

Nico grinned and shadow traveled them both across the apartment.

Will should’ve known it would be a mistake to get back into bed, because once again, Nico refused to let him go. And this time, he wasn’t falling for any of Will’s tricks, either. If Will complained that he was hungry or thirsty, Nico shadow traveled to the kitchen and back just to keep Will in bed.

Had Will really been neglecting cuddling his boyfriend that much?

“You’re going to tire yourself out,” Will called out as Nico dissolved into another shadow right before his eyes. He returned only a moment later with Will’s reusable water bottle and a bag of chips. Will raised an eyebrow at him. “Don’t you even think about eating  _ chips _ in my bed.” 

Nico shot him a look right back.  _ “Our _ bed,” Nico corrected as he opened the bag. He sat down beside Will, leaning against the headboard, and started eating.

“If I find chip crumbs on my side, I won’t kiss you for a week,” Will threatened.

“You couldn’t commit to that if you tried.” Still, Nico only ate about a handful of chips before setting the bag aside.

“So, I’ve been thinking about something,” Will said as he draped an arm around Nico’s shoulders.

Nico settled into Will’s side. “Don’t hurt yourself.” 

“Ha ha, you’re  _ so _ funny,” Will said sarcastically, poking Nico in the stomach and causing him to let out a giggle. “I was thinking about how I’ve never seen you go to church.” 

“Yeah, so?” Nico took the hand that Will had around his shoulders and laced their fingers together. “I’ve never seen you go to temple.” 

“Sure you have! It just wasn’t a Jewish temple.” 

Nico shot him a confused look over his shoulder. 

Will had a soft smile on his face. “You know, there’s a lot of temples in New Rome, and we’ve visited most of them.” 

“Oh, sure,” Nico said with a roll of his eyes, “now  _ you’re  _ the funny guy.” 

“Thank you, I know.” Will kissed Nico’s cheek, grinning as he thought of his next words. “So, anyway, won’t you go to Hell since you don’t consume the actual flesh and blood of your savior Jesus Christ at least once a week?”

Nico grinned right back. “It’s a good thing we all go to Hell anyway, then.” 

Will pouted. “You didn’t laugh at my joke.” 

Nico reached up and patted his cheek. “I’m laughing on the inside.” 

Will didn’t believe him. “Well, since we’re on the topic, did you ever talk to your dad about getting me a place with you in the palace?” 

Nico shrugged. “Well, I just haven’t decided if I’m keeping you around yet.” 

“It’s like you don’t even love me anymore,” Will said, his pout increasing in strength.

Nico gasped. “Slander!” He twisted in Will’s hold so that he could press a kiss to Will’s lips. “Or is that one libel?”

“Is that really what’s important right now?” Will asked. 

Nico sighed. “Alright, alright. I suppose, as long as you don’t do anything to piss me off, you can join me in the palace. It’s not like you’d wind up anywhere outside of Elysium, anyway.” 

Will’s nose scrunched up, a habit that he’d picked up from Nico when he was confused. “You can’t know that.” 

“Of course I do.” 

“How?” 

Nico shrugged again. “It’s just something I know. I don’t even need to know the person, I can just look at them and... _ know.” _

“With just  _ anyone?” _ Will asked. “So, you could look at, say, the President of the United States and tell me what circle of Hell he’s going to?” 

Nico squeezed Will’s hand and tipped his head back onto Will’s shoulder. “I’ll make it easy for you: nine times out of ten, politicians end up in punishment. The other one goes to Asphodel. If they would stop getting corrupted by greed, then maybe someday Elysium will see its first politician.”

“Wow,” Will whispered. 

Nico started drawing lines to connect the freckles on the back of Will’s hand. “You know, anyone who fought on our side in the Titan war went to Elysium.” 

Will’s arm tightened around him. “So...my brothers?” 

“I haven’t gone to check, but…” Nico nodded. “Last I saw them, that’s where they were headed.” 

“And…” Will hesitated, unable to decide if he really wanted to know the answer. “My mom?”

Nico took a deep breath. “Statistically speaking, most mortals go to Asphodel, unless they do something  _ really  _ big.” 

“I see,” Will breathed, trying to keep his emotions under control. “But...there’s still time?”

Nico squeezed his hand. “Yeah, there’s still time.” 

Will pressed his nose into the top of Nico’s head as he blinked tears out of his eyes. “Okay, I think it’s time for a topic change before I get myself worked up.” He pressed a kiss to Nico’s head. “I think we should put on some pajamas and head back out to the living room.”

“I thought we agreed that you weren’t leaving this spot,” Nico said.

_ “You _ agreed, I did not. Besides, how am I supposed to light the menorah and get you your gift from right here? Do you really want me to miss out on such an important part of Hanukkah?” He wound his other arm around Nico’s waist and dropped his chin onto Nico’s shoulder as he started fluttering his eyes. He knew Nico wouldn’t see it, but they were pressed close enough that Nico could be able to feel Will’s eyelashes tickling his cheeks. “We can watch a movie, too. Maybe even that Grinch movie you love so much.” 

Will could practically feel Nico’s excitement. “The Jim Carrey one?” 

“With the freaky Whos who give me the creeps, yeah,” Will said.

“Have I told you how much I love you?” Nico asked, pulling out of Will’s hold to turn toward him. 

Will hummed in thought. “Not today.” 

“Well, I do.” Nico leaned in for a kiss, then pushed himself out of bed, announcing in an imitation of the Grinch’s voice,  _ “But what’ll I wear?” _

Will was the first to reach the living room, and he didn’t wait for Nico to arrive before lighting the menorah. He was just putting the shamash back in place when he heard Nico enter the room, immediately dropping onto the couch with a gift box in hand. Will joined him on the couch.

“You first,” Nico insisted, passing over the box. As he always did, Will carefully peeled away the shiny blue and silver wrapping paper, then pried the lid off the box underneath. He found more blue inside - fabric, this time - and unfolded the sweater to see it in all its glory. It was the Hanukkah version of an ugly Christmas sweater, complete with working lights stitched into the menorah’s flames. 

“This is  _ hideous,” _ Will told him, eyes bright with excitement. He beamed at his boyfriend. “You do know that I  _ have _ to wear this to work tomorrow, right?” 

Nico smiled back. “I wouldn’t expect anything else.” 

Will darted forward to kiss Nico’s cheek. “Alright, your turn.” He lifted a large gift bag off the ground beside the coffee table, and handed it over. 

There was another bag inside - a black backpack of sorts, but smaller than the one Nico usually used - and Nico could feel other things inside. He unzipped the main pocket and found a first aid kit - with the demigod expansion pack, as Nico had come to call it - a tightly packed thermal blanket, and what looked to be a Celestial Bronze pocket knife. 

“I know you haven’t had to run off in a hurry recently,” Will explained as Nico searched through every part of his gift, “but the longer you stay put, the more I worry that you’re going to disappear at any second. You know how demigod life can be. I mean, just last week, Percy had to fight off a minor drakon that had tracked him down, and… I just don’t want you to get caught empty handed, or get hurt, or overexert yourself without me there to help you, so… Keep this handy, okay? This is your travel-sized version of me that I want you to take with you to keep you from dying.” 

Nico stuffed everything back into the bag and set it aside so that there was nothing between him and Will when he reached out to take Will’s face in his hands. He looked Will in the eyes as he promised him, “I’m not leaving any time soon, okay? And I don’t ever plan on leaving without you, but even if something happens when you’re not around, I’m always gonna come back to you, got it? Besides, you are  _ so  _ much more than that little bag’s worth of stuff. There’s no replacing the real thing.” 

“I didn’t say anything about  _ replacing me,” _ Will told him with a pout that Nico kissed away as soon as it appeared. “I just want you to promise me that you’ll remember to take it with you if something  _ does _ happen.” 

“I will, I promise,” Nico told him, and grinned as he said, “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” 

Will rolled his eyes, then dropped his forehead against Nico’s. “Gods, quit being such a sap. Can you just put on your shitty movie already?” 

Nico bumped his nose into Will’s. “Not until you kiss me back.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!!


	6. Night 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello happy night uhhh 5 you'd think i'd remember that since i just titled this chapter but you know how it is  
> enjoy!!

Nico was in the kitchen making dinner when Will came home from work, and the first thing Nico noticed was the literally glowing sweater Will was wearing.

“Oh, gods, you actually wore that to work today?” Nico asked with a laugh.

“Of course I did!” Will stepped up behind him and wrapped his arms around Nico’s waist, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “My boyfriend got it for me. Obviously I’m going to wear it.” 

Nico rolled his eyes, but didn’t bother trying to hide the smile that bloomed on his face. “Did your coworkers like it?” 

“They did,” Will answered. He stepped away to start setting the table as Nico finished the cooking. “I got a few funny looks at first, so I kind of had to, like… Can you  _ come out _ as Jewish? Because that’s kind of what it felt like.” 

Nico glanced at Will over his shoulder with an eyebrow raised. “Do I need to beat some people up for you?” 

“No, no,” Will laughed, “it was nothing bad. They were just confused, because… I dunno, I guess I haven’t acted  _ Jewish enough _ around them. And I got the obligatory  _ why aren’t you taking time off for Hanukkah _ questions, since people don’t realize that Hanukkah isn’t a huge deal compared to, like, Passover. Anyway, I did end up using the Catholic-boyfriend excuse as for why I needed Christmas off, so thanks for that one. However… Now they probably think you’re not Catholic enough since you’re gay.”

“That’s fine,” Nico said with a shrug. “If they ask, tell them I’ve already got a room set up for myself in the palace in Hell. Hey, that works out great, since you were never all that great at lying, anyway!” 

Will pouted. “Hey, don’t blame me! Blame my dad and his too many interests. It’s not my fault he had an affinity for truth telling, among, like, fifty other things that he’s the patron of.” 

“And it’s not  _ my _ fault that people hold their breath when they walk past me, like they do at a cemetery,” Nico replied.

“People don’t do that.” 

Nico shot him a look. “You’d be surprised.”

A few minutes later, dinner was ready to be served, but Nico hesitated before doing so. 

“What’s up?” Will asked, noticing his hesitation. “Is something wrong? Did you forget something?” 

Nico waved him off. “No, nothing like that. It’s just that, um. Well, there’s a chance that dinner might be...your gift. Again.” 

Will’s concern melted away into a grin. “Again?” he said, teasingly. “Day five, and you’re already repeating gifts? You’re terrible at this, babe.” 

Nico crossed his arms with a  _ hmph. _ “This is my first Hanukkah. Cut me some slack, would you? And it’s not like I repeated the  _ meal, _ too, so maybe you should just be grateful.” 

“Trust me, I am,” Will told him as he crossed the room, stopping directly in front of Nico to place his hands on Nico’s waist. “Every time you cook, I fall more in love with you.” 

Nico rolled his eyes and turned his head away so that Will wouldn’t see the way his lips had started to curl up in the corner. “You mean every time I cook, you remember why you keep me around.” 

“Maybe a little bit of both,” Will said, and when Nico raised an eyebrow at him, he continued, “but mostly the love thing.” 

Nico’s eyes narrowed, as if trying to determine whether Will was truly being genuine, and then sighed. “Alright, since dinner is your gift,  _ again, _ do you want to go grab my gift and I’ll light the menorah before we eat?” 

“Sounds like a plan,” Will told him, and released Nico from his hold before he started off toward their bedroom. As he went down the hall, he called back, “Don’t forget to use the shamash to light the other candles!” 

Nico had definitely forgotten. 

After  _ properly _ lighting the menorah, Nico met Will back in the kitchen, joining him at the table to open the gift that Will had set in front of the empty chair. He peeled away the wrapping paper to reveal a small stack of notebooks, all with intricately designed covers - he recognized Mothman on one, a dragon hoarding its treasure on another, and something like a cemetery scene on the third. 

“I noticed you were reaching the end of your notebook, so I figured you could use some more,” Will told him, his chin resting on his hand as he watched Nico from across the table. “And they’re fun because you could always use more fun in your life.” 

Nico smiled as he stood, picking up the notebooks and shredded wrapping paper before he stepped toward Will to press a kiss to his forehead. “Thank you, Sunshine.” He set everything on the counter to make sure it was out of the way. “So, I know normally I would make you a plate, but there’s sort of a lot going on here, so I think it’d be best if you served yourself this time.” 

Nico pulled two plates out of the cupboard and set them on the counter, then started pulling lids off pots that he set aside. The smell hit Will almost immediately, but it wasn’t until Nico took something out of the oven that his mouth started to water. “Is that…?” 

“I called your mom, by the way,” Nico said as he set a tray of cornbread on top of the stove beside the pots. “I asked if she could give me the recipe to whatever your favorite meal was when you were a kid, but all she told me was--” he raised the pitch of his voice just a touch and poorly imitated Naomi’s Southern accent as he said,  _ “--Oh honey, he gets his cooking skills from me, so you’d have to ask his Grandmama.  _ So, fun story--”

“You called my Grandmama?” Will asked, feeling a smile breakout on his face with so much force that his cheeks hurt. 

“She’s a very nice lady,” Nico commented, leaning one hip against the counter and crossing his arms, “and she was kind enough to help me make this for you, so you’d better get over here before it all gets cold.” 

Will stood from his seat at the table and came to stand beside Nico, slipping an arm around his waist as he looked over the food that Nico had prepared for him. It looked like pulled pork, baked beans, and… “Is that homemade cornbread?” 

“Jiffy mix,” Nico replied. “It was the best I could do on short notice, sorry.” 

“Oh, babe, do  _ not  _ be sorry about this,” Will told him. “This is… I can’t believe you did all this for me. Thank you, Darling.” 

Nico rolled his eyes fondly and elbowed Will in the side. “Yeah, yeah. Would you grab a plate already? I’m starving.” 

The two sat back down at the table a moment later, digging in for the first few minutes before they finally came up to breathe. Nico was the first to speak once his mouth was no longer full. “You never told me that you were raised by your grandparents.” 

“I didn’t?” Will asked, sounding surprised and confused. “I must’ve at least told you that I spent a lot of time with them, right?” 

Nico shrugged. “Maybe, but I don’t remember you talking about them very much.” 

“Oh. I mean, my mom was always on tour, so I lived with my grandparents whenever she wasn’t around,” Will told him. “I must’ve only told you about the time I spent with my mom because those were, like, fun vacation stories, almost. Living with my grandparents was just… You know, life as usual.”

Nico tore apart a piece of cornbread with his fingers. “I guess I always assumed that you spent all of your time with your mom, whether she was on tour or not. I mean, you don’t have an accent, and hers is barely noticeable most of the time. But your  _ grandma? _ If she raised you, then how come you don’t sound like  _ that?” _

Will grinned, pushing his plate off to the side so that he could rest an elbow on the table, leaning his chin on his hand once again. When he spoke, it was with a  _ thick _ Southern accent, almost to the same degree as his Grandmama’s. “‘Course I do, Darlin’, I just know how to turn it off.” 

Nico’s spoon clattered against his plate as it slipped between his fingers. “Don’t you dare turn it off again.”

Will laughed, though his accent had significantly lost steam when he replied, “You like it that much, huh?” 

Nico smiled back. “It’s like I got  _ two _ gifts tonight.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!  
> theres literally no way that nico didn't know about will's southern accent before this but. well you know.


	7. Night 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello happy night 6!!! we're almost there!!  
> enjoy!

Will returned home from work well after dark to find Nico curled up under a blanket on the couch, about halfway through the book Will had gotten him the week before. After Will had kicked off his shoes and hung up his coat, he walked over to the couch and leaned over the arm that Nico was laying back against, and pressed a kiss to the top of Nico’s head. 

“Hey,” Will greeted as he stood back up.

“Hey,” Nico replied. “Dinner’s in the red container in the fridge if you want it.” 

“Thanks,” Will said, and started toward the kitchen. He pulled out the leftovers - some rice-based something that smelled delicious - and popped the tupperware dish in the microwave before grabbing a fork and taking it out to the living room. 

He took his usual seat across the couch from Nico and pulled out his phone so that he could have something to look at while he ate. One time when his eyes flickered between the phone in his hand and the dish in his lap, Will noticed a light across the room. “Oh, hey,” he commented, “you lit the menorah without me.” 

Nico glanced up from his book and looked toward the menorah, as though he’d forgotten it was there. “Uh, yeah. I wanted a little more light in here so I figured, why not? Um. Sorry, I can blow out the candles and we can relight them together, if you want.”

“You know that’s not how it works,” Will told him with a chuckle, nudging at Nico’s leg with his foot.

He returned to his dinner and scrolling, and Nico’s gaze dropped back to his book. Another few minutes later - about half of Will’s dinner and a handful of pages from Nico’s book - Nico sighed, closing his book and setting it aside before stretching his arms over his head. He must have just finished a chapter. 

“How was work?” Nico asked as his arms dropped back to his lap. 

Will shrugged. “You know, same as usual. Pretty uneventful. How’s your pirate book?” 

“Not gay yet, but I still have hope.” Nico pushed the blanket off his lap and stood, stretching again as he started toward the hall. He was already in his pajamas, though Will probably shouldn’t have been surprised by that - it was awfully late, after all. He should probably stop eating so that his body had time to digest before he went to bed. 

He stood from the couch and took his half-finished dinner back into the kitchen, popping the lid back on the container and setting it in the fridge. When he saw that Nico hadn’t returned to the living room, Will went down the hall to their bedroom to bring out Nico’s gift, which he took back to the living room with him. 

Nico was in the kitchen getting himself a glass of water when Will passed. He didn’t know how Nico could’ve gotten past him, unless he was shadow jumping instead of walking again.

“Are we doing gifts now?” Nico asked as he followed Will toward the couch. 

Will shrugged. “We could, or not. Either way is fine with me.” 

“I guess I have to go get yours then,” Nico replied, and then he was gone. He reappeared on the couch, large gift box in hand, just seconds after Will had taken a seat. 

Will frowned, but tried not to show it. “I know you know what you’re doing, but are you sure you’re okay to be making a bunch of little jumps like that all the time?” 

“It’s fine,” Nico said, waving him off. “At least I’m staying in practice so that the next time I  _ do _ actually have to make a big jump, it won’t knock me out in a second.” 

Will sighed. He couldn’t really argue with that. 

Nico held the box out for Will to take. “You go first.” Will peeled away the wrapping paper, and as he lifted the lid on the garment box to see what was inside, Nico told him, “Just so you know, this thing comes with a condition: You are  _ never _ allowed to wear it outside of this apartment, or I won’t kiss you ever again.” 

Will picked up the Chewbacca onesie with a beaming smile, unfolding it to see the outfit in all its glory. “You know you don’t mean that,” Will replied. 

Nico’s eyes narrowed. “Try me.” 

Will set the onesie back in its box and set it aside, then handed a much smaller box over to his boyfriend. As Nico started unwrapping it - tearing the paper apart like some kind of heathen - Will told him, “So, when I bought this, I had somehow forgotten about your competitive streak, and I only remembered after we played dreidel, so it was too late to go back and get you something else.” 

Nico frowned in confusion before turning the box in his hand to read the label. It was some card and board game that Will had heard good things about, and thought Nico might enjoy. And of course he would; he  _ obsessed _ over card games. “You think I won’t like it?” he asked quietly.

Will snorted. “No, I think you’ll like it so much that nobody will ever want to play with you, just like Mythomagic. You even scared  _ Frank _ away from it after a little while.” 

Nico rolled his eyes. “I’m not  _ that _ bad.” 

“You kind of are,” Will told him with a grin. 

“I guess I’ll just have to bring this to camp for Christmas, and we’ll see who’s right.” 

“That’s fine,” Will said sweetly, turning his smile up to eleven. “Then I’ll just have to show off this great new onesie you got for me!” 

Nico’s eyes narrowed. “Touche.”

Will was probably going to fall asleep on the couch if he didn’t go to bed soon, but he was just so  _ comfortable.  _ And besides, he’d have to move Nico’s legs off of his lap in order to get up, and he just couldn’t do that. For the last half hour or so, Nico had gone back to his book, having stretched himself out across the couch longer than he should’ve been able to, and Will had continued staring at his phone. Now, his battery was almost dead, and he was having trouble keeping his eyes open. 

But there was something else on his mind, too.

He ran a finger across the bottom of one of Nico’s feet, causing the other to flinch and glare at him over the top of his book. “Did you need something?” Nico asked, eyes dropping back to the pages.

“I’ve been thinking about something,” Will answered vaguely.

Nico hummed, signaling for Will to continue, but it didn’t feel like something Will should say without Nico’s undivided attention. Thankfully, Nico seemed to catch onto that himself when Will didn’t continue right away. He marked his page and set his book aside, even sitting up straighter as he turned his gaze to Will.

“How have you managed to hold onto Catholicism through all of...this?” Will asked, hoping Nico understood what he meant. Who was Will kidding? Of course he would; Nico had been able to read Will like an open book since they were teenagers. 

“Well, it’s not like one thing is more real than the other,” Nico replied. “I mean, God is just as real as my dad. Just ask Magnus.” 

“Magnus Chase? Annabeth’s cousin?” Will asked, recoiling at the thought. There was a lot that Will still didn’t understand about Magnus’s whole...deal, but even that seemed a little too much to believe. “Are you telling me he met the  _ Christian God?” _

Nico laughed. “No, but apparently he heard some story about how Thor once challenged Jesus to a foot race. Something like that. But you know, if we have proof that some pantheons exist, then why wouldn’t  _ all _ of them?”

Will scratched at the back of his neck. “I guess my biggest hangup is, I mean, the Greeks have a god for  _ everything, _ you know? Like, they all share the load. How am I supposed to believe that there’s just one guy up there who’s doing everything himself?”

“But he’s not,” Nico pointed out. “Just like how your dad isn’t the only one pulling the sun every day, and my dad isn’t the only one wrangling the dead. He’s just...helping where he can. A lot of customer support, from what I can guess.” 

Will nodded in understanding. “Okay, I get that much, but… Why do  _ you _ choose to hold onto Catholicism specifically instead of like, going all or nothing? Or, well, we of all people can’t really be atheist, can we?” Will added with a laugh. 

Nico grinned. “We could try! That might be fun for a week, at least until we piss somebody off.” 

“I don’t think my dad of all people would like hearing that I stopped believing in him. It might break his heart,” Will said. 

“You’re probably not wrong,” Nico agreed. He took a breath, dropping his gaze to his lap as he asid, “I hold onto it because of my mom. It’s how she raised me, and it’s something that I think he wanted me to have in my life. I may not be able to remember much about her, but at least we can share this one thing.”

Will nodded once again. “I think I get it. So, do you think I should try to go back to Judaism to make my mom happy?” 

Nico snorted. “Absolutely not.” 

“But you just said--”

“I said that I choose to think of myself as Catholic because some of the practices help me feel connected to my mom, because I’ll never be able to connect with her in any other way,” Nico explained, raising his eyes to meet Will’s and leaning forward slightly.  _ “You, _ on the other hand, still have a mom. You can’t force yourself to believe in something you don’t just because you think it’ll make her happy. You can go home for a few holidays and play the part of the good Jewish boy, but I’d think that would be more disrespectful to the religion, if anything.” 

Will felt himself deflating. Just when he thought he had the right answer, he was proven wrong. “I kind of feel like I should be doing something more, you know? Like, it  _ is _ a part of me, but it’s a thing that I’ve been ignoring for so long that I wouldn’t even know how to get back into the swing of things.” He paused. “But… I think you’re helping.” 

Nico’s eyes widened in surprise. “I am?”

Will smiled softly. “Well, you’ve done a better job of getting me interested in a Jewish holiday than my mom or grandparents have in about ten years, so I’d say that’s pretty good.”

“Maybe you just need to dip your toes into the water again instead of trying to dive right in,” Nico suggested with a shrug. “We’re doing Hanukkah this year, and then maybe sometime after you finish your residency, we can visit your mom for, uh, Passover.” 

Will shot him an amused look. “Is Passover the only other Jewish holiday you know of?” 

Nico froze like a deer in headlights. “Uh, no. I know of others.” 

Will leaned in with a smile on his face, resting an arm against the back of the couch and holding his head in his hand. “Name one.” 

Nico started trying to form words in his mouth, though no sound came out for a few moments until he said, “Yule--  _ Yom Kippur.” _

Will’s smile brightened. “Good job. And do you know what happens on Yom Kippur?” 

Nico slouched in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, you didn’t ask for that.” 

“But I’m asking now,” Will said teasingly.

Nico let out a  _ hmph. _ “Is it, uh… Jewish new year?” 

“Close! That’s Rosh Hashanah, which happens ten days earlier.” 

Nico hummed. “You know, I think I deserve a prize.” 

Will snorted. “A  _ prize?” _

“A kiss!” 

“For guessing wrong?” Will asked, unable to hold back a laugh. “On what should really be a very simple question?” 

“Yep,” Nico replied with a  _ pop. _ “Because at least I tried, and participation means everything in the twenty-first century. I love it here, have I ever mentioned that? I used to have to put so much effort into things when I was a kid. Thank the gods I was imprisoned out of time, and then spent my formative years running for my life instead of learning such very simple things.” Nico raised a hand and pointed at Will as he seemed to remember something new. “Did you know, I went to church once when I was following Minos, and I learned that the Catholic church has these, like, extra books in the bible! Isn’t that crazy?” 

“Yeah, that’s called the New Testament,” Will teased, “they’ve had that for a while.” 

Nico rolled his eyes overdramatically, then made grabby hands in Will’s direction. “Would you just give me my prize already? I haven’t kissed you once yet today.” 

Will started to lean closer, but stopped and said, “Tell me what happens on Yom Kippur and I’ll kiss you.” 

Nico pouted. “Do you even love me anymore?” 

Will shrugged. “I might not if you can’t tell me what happens on Yom Kippur.” 

Nico stopped to think for a moment, then narrowed his eyes at Will. “I’m starting to think that even  _ you _ don’t know what happens on Yom Kippur.” 

“Wh-- Of  _ course _ I know what happens,” Will spluttered. “It’s, like, the holiest of holy days! You have to go to temple, and, uh. There’s probably fasting involved, and--” 

Nico leaned in and took Will’s face in his hands, guiding him into a kiss and cutting him off. “It’s okay, Sunshine,” Nico told him as he pulled back. “You can’t know everything.” 

Will pouted. “I think the last time I went to temple on Yom Kippur I almost passed out from hunger. I’m pretty sure we were there for, like, six hours, and I don’t even know what was supposed to happen. I think I was supposed to be sad?” He shook his head. “I don’t know, I just remember being starving. I don’t even think I was allowed to have any  _ water.” _

Nico patted Will’s cheek. “And maybe  _ that’s _ why I subconsciously suggested we visit your mother for Passover instead of Yom Kippur.” 

Will smiled. “No, it’s because you don’t know any of the other holidays, but it’s okay. You’ll learn.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!! don't forget to check out @solangeloweek on tumblr!!! the christmas event started yesterday so there's lots of new content!!


	8. Night 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy hanukkah night 7!! we're so close!!

Nico spent most of the day in preparation for tomorrow.

He was going to propose.  _ Tomorrow. _

He went grocery shopping - not because he had anything specific in mind for the next day aside from wanting dinner to be  _ fancy  _ \- and bought a bottle of wine. He didn’t really know anything about wine, but it sort of just felt like the thing to do. He even called Cecil to make sure there wasn’t anything different that he was supposed to do for the last night of Hanukkah - there wasn’t, thankfully, because he didn’t think he’d have been able to remember anything else anyway. 

When Nico returned home, he found Will on the couch with his laptop in his lap, freshly showered and already in his pajamas as he worked. “Hey,” Nico called as he took the groceries into the kitchen. “Is there anything specific you want for dinner?” 

He could hear the smile in Will’s voice as he replied, “Oh, so dinner isn’t my gift again tonight?” 

Nico started unpacking the groceries. “Alright,  _ two times _ I did that, and did you really think I’d do that two nights in a  _ row?” _

“I dunno, you seem kind of clueless about Jewish holidays as a whole, so…” Will trailed off, spurring Nico to poke his head around the corner with a glare. Will simply smiled back. “I love you!” 

“Uh huh,” Nico hummed skeptically, and went back into the kitchen. He finished with the groceries and then scanned the fridge and pantry to see what he could throw together. He went with pasta, finding some spinach in the fridge and bringing out cream and cheese and a few other things. 

He cooked everything together and let the cream reduce into a sauce, then after about half an hour, Nico popped his head around the corner again and said, “Dinner’s ready.” 

“Be right there,” Will told him, and so Nico turned back around to start making plates. He made sure to pile extra spinach onto Will’s plate, and forced himself to eat a few pieces to get it over with. He took a seat at the table as Will walked into the room, though rather than sitting down across from him, Will leaned over Nico’s back, arms wrapping around Nico’s shoulders as he pressed a kiss to the side of Nico’s head. “What are we having?” 

“Pasta,” Nico answered plainly. 

Will puffed a breath of laughter against Nico’s cheek. “Uh huh, I can see that. What kind?” 

“Uh, it’s got...white sauce.” 

“And?” 

Nico waved his hands out in front of himself. “I just...threw it together, I don’t know! Are you gonna eat it or not?” 

Will pulled away and moved toward his own seat. “You just--” he mimicked Nico’s arm movements, “--threw it together? Have you even tasted it yet?”

Nico  _ hmph _ ed. “It’s like you don’t trust me anymore. Have I wronged you in some way? Look at it, there’s even a  _ vegetable. _ Aren’t you proud?” 

“So proud,” Will said with a grin, finally picking up his fork. “And very happy to see you eating vegetables without being forced.”

“And who says  _ I’m  _ eating vegetables?” Nico asked, twirling pasta onto his fork.

Will leaned forward, as if to compare his own spinach-heavy plate with Nico’s pasta. He narrowed his eyes as he said,  _ “Nico.” _

He rolled his eyes. “I’m kidding. I ate some gross spinach before you got in here so that I could actually  _ enjoy _ the rest of my dinner.” 

Will leaned an elbow on the table, resting his cheek in his hand. There was a softness to his eyes that never failed to make Nico’s heart skip a beat. “You’re such a child. How did I fall in love with you?” 

“My dashing good looks and your inherent need to fix broken people,” Nico replied, then stuffed a forkful of pasta into his mouth. 

Will pouted. “You’re not broken.” 

“Exactly,” Nico said. He took a sip of water to wash down his dinner before continuing, “Because you fixed me.” 

Will reached across the table with the hand that had been holding up his head and grabbed Nico’s free hand. “I didn’t fix you, you fixed yourself. I was just there for emotional support.” 

“Ah  _ ha!” _ Nico exclaimed, pointing his fork across the table. “So you admit that I  _ was _ broken.” 

“Only because you  _ tricked me,” _ Will replied with a gasp. He squeezed Nico’s hand. “You’re not broken, and you never have been, but if you ever  _ did _ break, even into a million little pieces, I will always be here to help put you back together.” 

Nico felt his face starting to heat up, so he tried to throw Will off with an overdramatic eye roll. “Okay, sap. Eat your dinner.” 

“I thought we were having a moment!” Will cried, pouting. 

“No,  _ you _ were having a moment. I’m trying to eat this delicious pasta that I made for us that you haven’t even touched yet.” 

Will squeezed his hand again. “I love you.” 

“I don’t think I’ll believe that until you actually  _ eat something already.” _

Nico stayed in the kitchen after dinner to wash the dishes while Will went out to the living room to light the menorah. They met on the couch to exchange gifts, and when Nico handed over the box, Will commented, “It’s so  _ heavy.” _ He peeled away the paper carefully and cracked open the box, seeing it filled with candles of different scents and sizes. 

Will pulled one out of the box and took off the lid to smell it. He smirked as he said, “Are you trying to seduce me, di Angelo?”

Nico folded his arms over his chest and cocked an eyebrow. “You say that as if I haven’t already done it plenty of times before.” 

Will shrugged. “I mean, it’s either that, or you’re  _ really _ trying to accidentally-on-purpose burn this place to the ground with the number of candles we suddenly have here.” 

“Please, I think I know how many is too many,” Nico said with a roll of his eyes. “I’m not Leo.” 

Will grinned. “Hey, speaking of, I think you should open your gift now.” 

Nico winced. “I don’t like the sound of that.” Still, he accepted the small box that Will passed to him and tore off the wrapping. Inside was a phone case that seemed to fit the exact proportions of the demigod-safe cell phones Leo had designed and that the Hephaestus cabin had been making. (At this point, cell phone sales were funding camp more than the strawberry business.) Even better, the case had a printed-on design of Cerberus that covered most of the phone.

“Do you like it?” Will asked. “I wanted to make sure the design would cover up that decal of Leo’s face that he put on all the phones, so now random people won’t think you’re weirdly obsessed with him whenever you take your phone out.” 

“I love it,” Nico answered. “The design and your reasoning.” 

“It’s also, like, super damage resistant, and it should be waterproof to at least some degree, so hopefully it won’t be completely destroyed the next time you go out and do something dangerous.” 

Nico slipped his phone out of his pocket and snapped the case into place easily. “It’s perfect,” he said, and he leaned forward for a kiss. “Thank you, Sunshine. Always looking out for me, physically  _ and _ emotionally.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!! one more night of hanukkah to go!!!


	9. Night 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy last night of hanukkah!! i'm sure yall can guess what's about to happen in this one right

While Will was at work, Nico  _ cleaned. _ He scrubbed the kitchen until the surfaces shined, and even  _ vacuumed _ the living room which hadn’t been done in...so long that he was ashamed to say. He set out candles - the new ones he’d given to Will the night before - though he waited to light them until much later in the day. Then, once his hands were scrubbed raw and the whole apartment sparkled, Nico went on the internet.

He  _ hated  _ the internet. Too much of it was misleading, and why was it that whenever he tried to find a recipe, he had to read some middle-aged white woman’s entire life story just to see how many eggs he needed for one specific cake? And then there was today’s dilemma, which involved “romantic” dinner ideas that sounded absolutely revolting. What was  _ romantic _ about  _ oysters? _

He gave up after about twenty minutes and called Piper instead. 

Unfortunately, she wasn’t much help, either.

“Just make whatever his favorite is,” she told him. 

“I’ve cooked like three of his favorites in the last week,” Nico replied. “I’m out of favorites.” 

“Then make something with a lot of vegetables in it. I think he gets turned on by watching you take care of yourself, so that should be an easy way to seduce him.” 

Nico rolled his eyes. “I’m not trying to  _ seduce him, _ I’m trying to  _ marry him.” _

“You’re  _ what?” _ Piper exclaimed, suddenly sounding much more interested in the conversation. 

Nico paused. “Uh, did I not tell you?” 

_ “No!” _

“Oh.” Nico scratched at the back of his neck. “Uh, yeah. I’m proposing tonight. That’s why I need a fancy dinner.” 

Piper sighed audibly. “Nico, if I wasn’t halfway across the country I would smack you and then squeeze you so tight your eyeballs would pop out.” 

He winced. “Gross.” 

“I’m so happy for you,” Piper told him. “He’d be an idiot not to say yes.” 

Nico’s gaze fell to his lap, and he started picking at the frayed knee in his jeans. “Yeah, well, he can be pretty stupid sometimes.” 

“He’s  _ going _ to say yes,” Piper insisted.

“I know that,” Nico said, “mostly. But I really do need some ideas for dinner tonight, so could you help me out?” 

“Just make pasta. You’re good at that.” 

“We had pasta last night.” 

“So? You’re Italian, don’t you eat pasta every night?” 

Nico’s eyes almost rolled into the back of his head. “If you’re not gonna help, then I’m calling someone else.” 

“Hang on, just give me a minute,” she told him. “I’ll think of something!”

Piper did not, in fact, think of something.

In the end, Nico found himself texting Will to ask what he  _ wanted  _ for dinner. Maybe it was best that it wasn’t a surprise, anyway. Besides, shouldn’t the perfect night for a proposal actually have food that they want to eat?

Which was how Nico ended up making tacos for their very romantic dinner that night. 

Will came home while he was cooking - Nico had always been good at timing things just as Will should be walking through the door - and he came into the kitchen to press a kiss to Nico’s cheek in greeting. As he did so, he set a box of donuts on the counter nearby. 

“What’s that?” Nico asked as he finished slicing tomatoes. 

“Your gift,” Will answered. “Sorry I didn’t wrap them, but I figured, what’s the point when we’re just going to eat them after dinner? Besides, if you can ruin the surprise by just  _ asking _ what I wanted, then I can ruin the surprise by giving these to you now.” 

Ah. So Will had assumed that, for a third time in eight days, Nico was using dinner as his gift. Rather than correcting him, Nico asked, “Okay, but what  _ are _ they?” 

“Sufganiyot.” 

_ “Salute,” _ he replied jokingly, though he knew exactly what Will meant.

“No, no, they’re jelly donuts,” Will explained anyway. “They’re traditional! We can’t have Hanukkah without these.” 

Nico nodded. “Sure, tacos and suf… Sufguh--” 

“Sufganiyot,” Will finished for him.

“Sure. Tacos and  _ jelly donuts, _ the traditional eighth night of Hanukkah meal.” 

After their very traditional dinner - though they hadn’t cracked into the donut box yet for dessert - Will insisted that it was his turn to wash up and put away the leftovers, and ushered Nico out to the living room. It gave Nico plenty of time to go around the room, lighting the menorah first, and then the other candles that he’d sprinkled throughout the room. He stood in the middle of the room as he tried to remember what else he had planned, but he was pulled out of his thoughts by Will entering the room behind him.

“Oh, wow,” he said, scanning the room with wide eyes. “Okay, so you got me candles because  _ you _ wanted candles, I see.” He met Nico’s gaze and smiled in that way that made it hard for Nico to breathe.

Still, Nico managed to whisper, “Wait right here,” and gesture to the couch for Will to sit before he left the room. He ran to their bedroom to grab the ring from his nightstand, hearing Percy’s voice in his head from the day they went ring shopping that said,  _ “Don’t hide it someplace obvious like I did, or else Will’s gonna find it before you even get a chance to propose.” _

Either Will hadn’t found it, or he was very good at keeping secrets. 

Nico went back to the living room, the ring box - wrapped in the same blue and silver wrapping paper as everything else had been - held firmly in his hand. He sat down beside Will on the couch, turned to face him fully as he held out the box. 

Will eyed it, making no move to take it from Nico’s hand. “You can’t give two gifts in one night,” he said, sounding entirely unsuspecting. 

Nico shrugged. “I never said dinner was my gift. C’mon, take it.” 

When Will took the box from his hand, Nico felt like he’d placed a thousand pound weight on his chest in its place. He couldn’t really breathe as he watched Will carefully pick at the tape holding the paper together, and he’d never wished more that Will would just tear into it like it was nothing. 

When his fingers touched velvet, Will froze. 

Nico sucked in a breath. “William Andrew--”

“You only wanted to do Hanukkah to butter me up for a week,” Will cut in, his wide eyes now locked on Nico’s instead of the box in his hand. 

Nico felt his cheeks grow very,  _ very _ red, but he tried to ignore it. “That...may have been one reason, yes.” 

Will’s face broke out into a beautiful smile. “But it was definitely the main one.” 

Nico huffed. “Do you wanna marry me or not, Sunshine?”

Will set the box aside on the coffee table and swooped forward, taking Nico’s face in his hands and dragging him into a kiss. “Of course I do.” 

They laid together on the couch for maybe an hour after that, with Nico resting against one arm and Will’s head pillowed on his chest. Nico had a finger twisted in one of Will’s curls when he finally said, “You never even opened the box.” 

Will lifted his head until his chin rested on Nico’s sternum, and he met his gaze. “I’m gonna guess there’s a ring inside.” 

“Obviously,” Nico muttered. “Don’t you wanna see it?” 

Will smiled softly at him. “It’s not about the ring, it’s about  _ you.” _

“Okay, I love you, but I spent a whole day wandering around the city with Percy to find that thing,” Nico told him, pinching his side, “so the least you could do is look at it.” 

Will pouted. “But then I’d have to get up, and I’m actually very comfy using my fiance as a pillow right now.” His pout melted away into a grin at the word  _ fiance, _ and he couldn’t seem to fight the smile away after that. He tucked his head beneath Nico’s chin again, nuzzling his cheek into his fiance’s chest. “So, maybe later.” 

Nico rolled his eyes, but found himself smiling as well. Will was his  _ fiance. _ He’d said yes to getting  _ married! _

Nico stretched his arm out toward the coffee table, but he’d never be able to reach with the way that Will was laying on him, so he set his hand on Will’s back again. Instead, he took his other hand off of Will’s head and reached into a shadow on a crease in the back of the couch, and his hand reappeared just underneath the coffee table. With almost no effort, he plucked the box off the table and pulled it back through the shadow until he was holding it right in front of his nose. 

“I hate when you do that,” Will muttered without any heat. 

Nico grinned. “But it’s so cool and fun.” 

Will lifted himself up again, this time propped up on his elbows that rested on either side of Nico’s chest. “Yeah, sure, it’s cool, but seeing a disembodied hand in my living room is kinda freaky.” 

“Imagine how my dad must feel every time I forget something in the Underworld, since I always do that instead of going all the way there to find stuff,” Nico said. He held up the box. “At least try it on so I know it fits.” With one hand, Nico flipped the box open, and he watched as Will’s face filled with awe. 

The ring was a shining silver band with a single inset black opal that glittered like gold in the light. Will couldn’t even seem to move at the sight. “Would you…?” 

Nico took the ring out of the box, and when Will held out his hand, Nico slipped the ring onto Will’s finger, pressing it down to the base before pulling Will’s hand closer to kiss his knuckles. Will stared at the ring a few moments longer, but Nico only had eyes for him, watching the minute shifts in Will’s face until it looked like he might start to cry. 

But then Will was kissing him, and Nico could feel the cool metal of the ring pressing against his cheek, and suddenly Nico felt like he might burst into tears at any second, too. Especially when Will kept pulling away to whisper  _ ‘I love you’ _ s against Nico’s lips before coming back even more passionately than before. 

When Will ran out of breath, he laid back down against Nico’s chest, his arms wrapped around his fiance as best he could in that position, and Nico pressed his own  _ ‘I love you’ _ s into Will’s hair. 

“I have to tell my mom,” Will whispered at some point after Nico had started tracing patterns onto Will’s back. 

“She already knows,” Nico told him. 

“What? How?” 

Nico ran a hand through Will’s hair. “I called her last week and asked for her blessing.” 

“That’s adorable,” Will whispered, and tilted his head up to press his lips to Nico’s collarbone. “Wait, you didn’t ask my dad, too, did you? Because there’s  _ no _ way he would’ve been able to keep that a secret, even if we barely talk anymore.” 

Nico snorted. “No, I didn’t need to, because he gave his blessing when we were sixteen. And I was  _ mortified.” _

Will lifted his head again and brushed the tip of his nose against Nico’s. “Do you think I need to ask  _ your _ dad?”

“Absolutely not,” Nico insisted. 

Will pouted. “Why not?” 

“Because I would have to accompany you to the Underworld, and I don’t want to be present for that conversation. One of you would definitely give me enough secondhand embarrassment that I would die from it.” Nico shrugged one shoulder. “Dad can find out when he gets a wedding invitation.” 

Will beamed. 

“What?” Nico asked.

“We’re going to have a  _ wedding.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!  
> i have an epilogue coming up but as of when i'm uploading this (dec 8 yeesh) i have. not even started writing it. so that should be up sometime between tomorrow and the 25th!! so keep an eye out!!  
> while you're waiting.......go to @solangeloweek on tumblr!! there's so much holiday stuff for you to see!!


	10. Epilogue: Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello and merry christmas!! i hope you enjoyed all of the hanukkah chapters so here's your christmas epilogue!! enjoy!!

Nico woke up to the feeling of Will draped across his back, pressing kisses all over the only side of Nico’s face he could reach. When he seemed to notice that Nico was finally awake, Will said, “Good morning, my future husband.” 

Nico tried to tuck his face into his pillow to hide the smile growing on his lips. “I haven’t even gotten used to  _ fiance _ yet,” Nico grumbled, finding Will’s hand in the tangle of blankets around his waist and covering it with his own, “and you’re already skipping ahead to  _ husband.” _

“I’m just trying to get into the habit,” Will told him, trailing his lips down to Nico’s neck until they stopped to rest just above the collar of Nico’s shirt. “I mean, you never know when one of us might get tired of planning a wedding and decide to run to the courthouse instead.” 

Oh, Nico liked the sound of  _ that. _ He started to roll back, at least as far as he could until Will got in his way, and turned his head to meet Will’s eyes. “Oh, that’s an option?” At Will’s grin, he turned over entirely and twisted their legs together beneath the bed sheets. “Then good morning, my husband.” 

Will’s arm tightened around him, pulling Nico even closer until their noses brushed together. “See, wouldn’t you rather get used to  _ that?” _

Nico hummed. “I can see the appeal. But I’m having a bit of a hard time picturing you with a courthouse wedding.” 

“It wouldn’t be my first choice, I’ll admit to that,” Will replied, “but it’ll be perfect either way. You know why?” 

Nico rolled his eyes. “Because you’ll be marrying--”

“I’ll be marrying you!” Will exclaimed with a blinding smile. “We can do whatever you want, whether it’s just us at the courthouse, or a small ceremony with our friends, or something huge with, like, two thousand people. I mean, I’ll need to meet a  _ lot _ more people if that’s the case, but--”

“I think I’d like something small,” Nico told him, his fingers tracing the outline of the sun tattooed over Will’s heart. “If that’s okay.” 

“As long as you can promise me one thing,” Will said, and Nico hummed questioningly. “Small wedding, big reception.” 

Nico hesitated before replying, “How big is  _ big?” _

“How small is  _ small?”  _ Will shot back. “I’m thinking, maybe ten or fifteen people at the wedding, maybe a hundred people at the reception.” 

“Do we even  _ know _ a hundred people?” Nico asked, his nose scrunching up with the question.

Will paused to think about it. “We... _ must, _ right? I mean, a hundred isn’t  _ that _ many.” 

Nico’s face cracked into a smile once more. “Okay, we can figure out numbers later, once we establish how many people we actually  _ know. _ For now, we should probably get ready to leave.”

Will got that sappy smile back on his face again that had Nico simultaneously melting at the sight and bracing himself for what was about to come next. “Back to the place where I fell in love with you,” Will said dreamily, then gasped when he got an idea. “We should get married at camp! It’s huge, always has great weather, a magical border that can keep out monsters - since there’s no doubt that it’ll be mostly demigods in attendance. It’ll be  _ perfect.” _

“We can think about it,” Nico told him, “for the  _ reception. _ I’m still leaning toward the courthouse.” 

Will wore his Hanukkah sweater to camp despite the fact that Hanukkah had ended almost a week earlier. He insisted on wearing it as proof of how much Nico had spoiled him that month.

When they arrived at camp - driving there, because Will didn’t want to risk spending most of their stay in the infirmary with a half-conscious Nico - they dropped their bags off in the Hades cabin before crossing the green to cabin three. 

Percy and Annabeth were already inside, as well as Grover, Leo, and Rachel. As soon as Nico stepped through the door, Percy was on him, dragging him into a hug and taking him a few steps off to the side. He set his hands on Nico’s shoulders, practically bouncing on his toes as he whispered, “Did you do it? Did you, did you, did you?” 

Nico rolled his eyes, smiling fondly as he said, “Yeah, I did it.”

“Hell yeah!” Percy exclaimed and lifted Nico off his feet with the strength of his hug. “I’m so happy for you, dude!” 

When Percy finally set him back on his feet, Nico frowned, looking almost offended. “Woah, I never said that he said  _ yes.”  _

Percy looked like he was about to panic, but before he could say anything, Will slipped an arm around Nico’s waist and said, “He’s messing with you, Perce.” 

Percy’s eyes flickered between them. “So…”

Nico’s lips curved up into a smile. “We’re getting married.” 

“Dibs on best man!” Percy shouted, loud enough for the others in the cabin to hear. 

Nico’s eyes rolled on their own accord, and he shoved at Percy’s arm. “You got to help pick the ring, give somebody else a role.” 

“He spent a whole week buttering me up,” Will was telling everyone while Nico tried to hide his embarrassment in the corner of the room away from everybody else. A few others had arrived by then - Thalia and Reyna, Tyson and Ella, and Lou Ellen and Cecil. Hazel and Frank were expected to arrive the next day for Christmas Eve, and Piper had decided to spend the holiday with Shel’s family, so at most they were expecting an Iris Message from her at some point. “Obviously, I would’ve said yes either way, but it was sweet nonetheless.” 

“Aw, you hear that, Neeks?” Leo teased, drawing everyone’s attention across the room to Nico. “He thinks you’re  _ sweet!” _

Nico’s arms tightened across his chest, and he pointed his glare at the wall. He was sure his face was already pink to begin with from the way that Will had been talking about him, but having everyone’s attention on him made it so much worse. They were  _ definitely _ going to have a small wedding. 

“Can we see the ring?” Rachel asked, pulling everyone’s attention back to Will. Nico was going to have to thank her for that later. When Nico glanced back at the group, Rachel shot him a wink. 

Much later in the night, after the general excitement over the engagement announcement had faded to the background, Nico sat down beside Will on the couch and sunk into his side. Will draped an arm around his shoulders and pressed a kiss to the side of his head, whispering, “I didn’t embarrass you too much, did I?” 

“I’m mortified, and the wedding is off,” Nico grumbled into Will’s shoulder.

“You don’t mean that.” 

“I’m mortified, and the wedding will be at the courthouse,” Nico corrected. 

“Alright, I’ll take it.” Will kissed his temple once more. “I’m sorry. I won’t embarrass you anymore this weekend.” 

“No, you will,” Nico told him. “Once Hazel gets here tomorrow, you’ll do it all over again. But it’s okay, I forgive you in advance.” 

Will rubbed his arm a few times, quickly, like he was trying to warm him up. “Are you having fun otherwise?”

“Yeah, it’s been okay. I still want to catch up with Reyna since I haven’t seen her in…” 

Nico trailed off, his head tilting in confusion as his eyes followed Thalia across the room. She was suddenly decked out in fairy lights, wrapped in a garland and even wearing a tree-topper star on her head.

“Uh,” he started up again, “what’s going on?” 

Will laughed. “You know, because she used to be a pine tree.”

Nico shot up, spinning back toward Will and looking absolutely bewildered. “That wasn’t a  _ joke?” _

Seeing as they were back at camp, they did have to abide by the usual lights out rules if they wanted to avoid being attacked by harpies - not that any of them couldn’t manage to take down a harpy on their own at this point in their lives - so as the night wore on, they all went their separate ways to their different cabins. 

Nico and Will counted themselves lucky to have the Hades cabin to themselves, at least until Hazel and Frank were scheduled to arrive the next day. Unlike Cecil, neither of them had to try to cram into an open space in one of the other cabins with younger siblings. Nico and Will, on the other hand - just like Reyna and Thalia - had plenty of space to spread out. 

_ (Un _ like Reyna and Thalia, Nico and Will didn’t take a vow to be single forever, and would therefore  _ not _ be taking advantage of the extra space to spread out.)

When Nico came out of the bathroom after brushing his teeth, he found Will standing beside the bed, pulling back the sheets, dressed head-to-toe in a monochromatic brown. 

“I thought you promised that thing would never leave the apartment!” Nico exclaimed with a gasp, causing Will to jump and turn toward him, his Chewbacca onesie on full display. 

Will pointed an accusing finger at him. “And I thought  _ you  _ promised to leave all card games at home.” 

Nico spluttered. “I didn’t bring them!” 

In the dim light of the cabin, Will found Nico’s backpack on the ground and lifted it up. The main pocket was mostly unzipped, and the single lit torch on the wall gave off just enough light for Nico to see the few packs of games resting inside. Nico winced at the sight. 

“Okay, new deal: nothing leaves this cabin,” Nico said, then added, “except when we go home.” 

“Deal,” Will said, and climbed into bed. The only two beds in the cabin were pushed up against opposite walls, so Will had to crawl across the queen size mattress in order to make room for his fiance.

Nico stood beside the bed, arms crossing with a  _ hmph. _ “I’m not sleeping next to you in that thing.” 

Will grinned up at him as he laid back against his pillow. “But it’s so cozy, and weirdly furry.” 

Nico stood his ground. Will simply shrugged back.

“Alright, suit yourself.” He pulled the blanket up to his shoulders and settled in, sighing contentedly and shutting his eyes. A few moments later, just as Nico was starting to reconsider the risks of brushing up against Chewbacca fur in his sleep, Will groaned and shoved the blankets away. “Okay, never mind, I’m  _ sweating.” _ In a few quick movements, he had unzipped the onesie and stripped down to his underwear, then practically kicked the thing off the foot of the bed. 

Nico rolled his eyes at the overdramatics. “Here, maybe this will help,” he said, and reached down to press his cold fingers to the side of Will’s neck. 

He cringed at the feeling, nearly crushing Nico’s hand between his cheek and his shoulder with the force of his movement. “Dear gods, you’re  _ freezing,” _ Will exclaimed. “Get in here!” He grabbed Nico by the arms and pulled him down to the bed before covering them both with the blanket and holding Nico close to warm him up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!! don't forget to check out solangeloweek on tumblr to see all of the amazing stuff that's been created for this event!!

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!! see you for the next week and check out the other holiday content @solangeloweek on tumblr!!


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